Question:
- What did the following leading pioneers of Seventh-day Adventism all have in
common with each other?

Joseph Bates

(1792-1872)

James Springer White

(1821-1881)

Joseph H. Waggoner

(1820-1889)

Merritt E. Cornell

(1827-1893)

John Nevins Andrews

(1829-1883)

John N. Loughborough

(1832-1924)

Uriah Smith

(1832-1903)

S. N. Haskell

(1833-1922)

Alonzo Trevier Jones

(1850-1923)

Ellet J. Waggoner

(1855-1916)

Answer: - They were
all non-trinitarian!

To many Seventh-day
Adventists, this may appear very surprising but the truth of the matter is that
throughout the time of Ellen White’s ministry (1844-1915), also for decades
following her death, the Seventh-day Adventist Church was a non-trinitarian
denomination. This is the way it had been since its inception.

No rebuke through the spirit of
prophecy

It is very
interesting that regarding their non-trinitarian beliefs, never once did Ellen
White say that early Seventh-day Adventists were wrong. This was even though
some of our pioneers were quite vocal at times in speaking out against the
trinity doctrine. This included her husband James Springer White.

The record of our
history reveals that through to his death in 1881, even after being married to
the messenger of the Lord for 35 years, James White remained a passionate
anti-trinitarian. Nowhere can it be found where Ellen White said that her
husband was wrong in these beliefs. This must be considered quite an
interesting observation.

It was also the same
with the other early Seventh-day Adventists. Never did Ellen White say that
they were wrong in rejecting the trinity doctrine.

Sent around the world as the truth

During the entire time
period of Ellen White’s ministry, this same non-trinitarianism was evident
throughout the entire spectrum of Seventh-day Adventist publications. This was
sent around the world as the truth that God desired His people to believe.

By our pioneers, these
beliefs were considered to be an integral part of the last day message of
Seventh-day Adventism. It must be asked therefore, if Ellen White had
considered these beliefs to be wrong, why did she not seek to correct the
church? After all, she was God’s messenger to the remnant - and she did have 71
years in which to do it (1844-1915). Why continue to allow Seventh-day
Adventists to believe this error and also lead thousands of others to believe
it as well - if it was error?

Strange claims

It was not until
after Ellen White’s death that the claim was made that her writings revealed
God to be a trinity of divine beings as depicted by the trinity doctrine.
During her lifetime it was professed by Seventh-day Adventists that God was a
personal being whilst Christ was said to be a separate personage from the
Father. The belief that God and Christ are two separate personages was very
important to early Seventh-day Adventists.

During the time
period of Ellen White’s ministry, it was also believed that because Christ had
been begotten (brought forth) of God, He was truly the Son of God. Many
Seventh-day Adventists today deny this Sonship belief. Their official beliefs
say that the Son of God, just like the Father, is not begotten.

In the early days of
Seventh-day Adventism, the Holy Spirit was not generally thought of as a person
although eventually, through the leading of the spirit of prophecy, He was
regarded as such. This though was not in the same sense as the Father and the
Son were regarded as persons. This is because the nature of the Holy Spirit was
said to be a mystery. In keeping with Scripture and the spirit of prophecy, the
Holy Spirit was said to be the spiritual presence of both the Father and the
Son – when they (the Father and the Son) were still bodily in Heaven.

After the death of
Ellen White, all of this changed. This was when the belief was promulgated that
the Holy Spirit was a person exactly the same as God and Christ. This
eventually led to the acceptance of a modified form of the orthodox trinity
doctrine.

Interesting to note
is that it was not until at least the 1950’s that it could be said that
trinitarianism was becoming established within Seventh-day Adventism. This was
decades after the death of Ellen White.

Serious questioning

The realisation that
Ellen White never once spoke out against the non-trinitarianism of early
Seventh-day Adventists, also the fact that never once did she make a profession
of the trinity doctrine, has led many Seventh-day Adventists today to seriously
question whether she really was a trinitarian. This has led to asking what the
difference is (if there is a difference), between the non-trinitarian beliefs
of early Seventh-day Adventists and the so-called trinitarian beliefs of Ellen
White. In other words, what is it that makes Ellen White’s beliefs trinitarian
(if this is what they are) and what is it that makes early Seventh-day
Adventists beliefs non-trinitarian (which we know they were)? These are
questions that this author, in the various studies found on this website, has
sought to answer.